Originally Posted by
MichaelCharlie
Is it common for the gate agent to require everyone with a roll-aboard to valet-check their bags? Admittedly, I haven't been flying often lately, but on two recent domestic flights (on CRJs, out of DFW and ORD), if it had wheels, it was required to be checked. Neither flight was full, and on the DFW flight in particular, I'd say most of the overheads in coach were completely empty.
On regional jets (RJs), like the CRJs you flew, yes, it's not just common, it's basically universal.
Most RJs (except maybe the biggest ones?)
don't have room for normal-sized roll-aboards in their overheads. (The overheads on CRJs are significantly smaller than the overheads on mainline planes.) So of course they have to gate check them on CRJs.
But it's not common at all on mainline planes (737s, A319s, and above). There it may happen to late boarders sometimes if the overhead bins are getting full, or sometimes on lightly loaded planes for balance, but not normally for most people.